


You Ease My Troubles

by eringiles



Category: The Brittas Empire
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Episode Tag, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:34:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,336
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26269567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eringiles/pseuds/eringiles
Summary: Tim and Gavin's relationship in snapshots. Each chapter is a missing scene from an episode.
Relationships: Gavin Featherly/Tim Whistler
Comments: 1
Kudos: 7





	1. Reviewing The Situation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing Scene from Reviewing the Situation.

‘You having fun there?’

Tim looked up from the piece of paper he was furiously scribbling on about Brittas’ staff relations to go in the staff review to find Gavin looking down at him with an amused smile on his face.

‘You know, I am actually,’ Tim replied with a rather smug smile, leaning back in the kitchen chair for a moment to stretch his back. It was only now Tim realised how long he’d been intent on his task. The sun had long gone from the sky, leaving only the halogen glow from the strip lighting illuminating the kitchen in his and Gavin’s flat.

‘You’re late home,’ Tim noted as he watched Gavin crossing over to the kettle and flicking it on.

‘Colin was breathing down my neck while I tried to finish off that paperwork,’ Gavin said.

‘How’s your review of Julie coming along then?’ Tim enquired getting up from the kitchen table to grab a couple of mugs from the cupboard. Gavin turned around, holding up his right hand to reveal a white bandage bound tightly round it.

‘Can’t do it,’ Gavin answered.

‘What happened to you?’ Tim asked, plonking the mugs down on the work surface to turn and look at Gavin fully.

‘Julie’s bodyguard,’ Gavin said dejectedly, reaching past Tim for the teabags and wincing as he gripped the lid of the pot that contained them.

‘What? He assaulted you? He didn’t think you were trying to frisk Julie, did he?’ Tim asked, batting Gavin aside to make the tea, a smirk on his face again.

‘No,’ Gavin said as he sat himself down at the kitchen table, placing his wrist on the surface. He let out a little hiss of discomfort before he pulled his arm close to his body again. ‘He kicked the door of the bathroom in when I was behind it.’

‘Serves you right for reading magazines in the toilet I suppose,’ Tim said in reply, pouring the hot water into two separate mugs, turning just in time to see Gavin glaring at him. Tim placed a mug down in front of Gavin before joining him at the table. Tim watched Gavin trying to pick his mug up awkwardly with his left hand as he clasped his own mug between his hands.

‘I’ll type it up for you if you like,’ Tim offered. Gavin’s head shot up, looking at Tim across the kitchen table, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

‘Thanks, Timmy, but I’m quite happy to have a night off from work,’ Gavin replied, and Tim for a moment thought he was hearing things.

‘A night off work, that’s not the talk of an aspiring manager,’ Tim teased, watching at Gavin’s shoulders slumped slightly. Tim had reached the line apparently, and however often Tim stepped over the line he didn’t think it was fair to do it tonight, not when it was obvious that Gavin was in pain.

Gavin was struggling to unknot his tie from round his neck now. Tim got up from his seat and went to help, tugging the tie from round Gavin’s neck and unknotting it completely before dexterous fingers moved to undo the top few buttons of Gavin’s shirt. Gavin’s head dropped forward onto his chest as he mumbled something that vaguely sounded like, ‘thanks, Timmy.’

Gavin was the only one who called him Timmy, and the only one who could reasonable get away with it. Tim couldn’t stay angry with a man who said Timmy with such an audible amount of affection in his voice. He leant down to press a kiss to Gavin’s temple, a hand combing through his hair as Gavin tilted his head into the kiss, ending up leaning into Tim’s stomach.

‘What do you fancy for dinner?’ Tim asked, reluctantly pulling away to go and look in the fridge.

‘I don’t mind. Food.’ Gavin suggested, taking a sip of his tea. ‘How did things go with you and Brittas and your birth certificate?’

‘Quite well actually. Lasagne?’

Gavin nodded. ‘Quite well?’

‘Well he’s now ignoring me and saying we have no Timothy Whistler working at the Centre, which resulted in the pensioners’ club being kicked out of the pool for a couple of minutes until Linda turned up. So yeah, quite well.’

‘How is that quite well, Tim?’

‘Well, he’s treating me as if I don’t work there, so I’m acting like I don’t work there.’ Tim gave a rather smug grin, but Gavin could tell it was annoying Tim somewhat. Tim had already changed his name by the time Gavin had met him. It had been awhile before Gavin had found out about the name change, but Tim hadn’t been the one to tell him that he used to be a Goebbels, it had been Tim’s mother the first-time Gavin had met her. The difference in surname’s Gavin had just put down to the fact that Tim’s mother had most likely remarried, but Tim’s mother had been quick to correct that fact while Tim had gone red behind the ears as if he’d shamed his mother in changing his name.

Gavin didn’t care either way, he was still his Tim; his Tim who was currently chopping onion and garlic to make them dinner. Gavin smiled as he reached over to have a look at what Tim had spent the best part of the evening working on, letting out a hiss as he reached for the paper with his bad wrist. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Tim turn around and frown, and before Gavin had a chance to reach out for Tim’s review of Brittas again, Tim was sliding it over the table to him.

‘Going to criticise my work?’

‘No, just making sure you’ve not written anything damning.’

‘So what if I have? It’s a 360-degree review, Gavin.’ Tim said, putting on a mocking tone as he retrieved a bag of frozen peas from the freezer, wrapping them in a tea towel and then placing them gently on top of Gavin’s wrist. Tim then went back to making dinner, leaving Gavin to read the rest of his review of Brittas.


	2. Underwater Wedding

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing Scene from Underwater Wedding.

‘Are you sure you don’t want to go to the hospital?’ Gavin asked as he put the keys in the front door of their flat.

They’d had at least a couple more hours of their shift left, but Laura had found the two of them in the staff room, Tim using Gavin’s shoulder as a pillow while he insisted he was fine. Laura had taken one look at them and told Gavin to take Tim home.

‘I’ll be fine, I’m just tried.’ Tim protested as he followed Gavin into the flat, hands always touching some kind of surface, and Gavin didn’t wonder if it wasn’t to keep himself upright.

‘Timmy, you sure?’ Gavin asked, reaching out for him once he’d shut the front door, helping him out of his jacket. There was no immediate answer, and once he’d hung both their jackets up he turned back to Tim where he was still leaning against the hall table, his eyes barely open.

‘Timmy?’ Gavin reached a hand out, running it along the back of his shoulders. Tim seemed to instinctively turn into him, his head finding Gavin’s shoulder, as hands moved to use Gavin as a ballast. Gavin’s other hand moved to the back of Tim’s head to hold him close, avoiding the obvious injury as he felt a long breath ghosting over his neck.

‘Head hurts,’ Tim mumbled into Gavin’s shoulder. Gavin sighed in sympathy, his lips pursing together in thought for a moment.

‘Well, how about I make us some food and then you can have some painkillers before he we have an early night?’

‘Not sure I’m up for much after the incident with the pole.’

Despite himself, Gavin huffed out a laugh before kissing the side of Tim’s head.

‘I meant for sleeping, but I could be up for some intense cuddling.’

‘Steady on.’ He could hear the smile in Tim’s voice.

It didn’t take long before Gavin had managed to strip Tim of his uniform and coerce him into a pair of pyjama bottoms and loose long-sleeved t-shirt. They stayed in the bedroom and ate a dinner of boiled eggs and soldiers, because the thought of food had made Tim look a little green.

Gavin took the plates back to the kitchen and left them on the side to do in the morning before making sure the flat was locked up for the evening and retrieving a glass of water and some painkillers. When he got back to the bedroom, Tim looked like he’d already fallen asleep, half lying on Gavin’s side of the bed.

‘Timmy?’ Gavin perched on the side of the bed, a hand squeezing Tim’s bicep to try and rouse him. Tim let out a low moan but didn’t move.

‘I’ve got you some painkillers.’

Tim moved lethargically, struggling to get his arms under him as he seemed to struggle to hold the weight of his own head up. Gavin put the water and painkillers down, scooting further back on the bed so that he rested against the headboard before he tried to lift Tim into a semi upright position, allowing him to rest against Gavin’s chest before he reached for the water and painkillers again.

‘Thanks,’ Tim murmured as he lay back down on top of Gavin, clearly intent on not moving any time soon. His head was pillowed against Gavin’s chest, his legs tangled with Gavin’s and Gavin knew he was here for the night – not that he had any plans to be anywhere else. Gavin’s arms came around, one sliding down Tim’s side, fingers slipping beneath the t-shirt to the warm skin there, while his other hand cradled Tim’s head to his chest. He pressed a kiss to the back of Tim’s head, noting that there was blood matted in parts of his hair. That was a problem for tomorrow morning, though, he told himself.

‘Promise me that if you don’t feel better by the morning you’ll let me take you to the hospital.’

Gavin felt Tim’s fingers squeezing against Gavin’s side as he let out what sounded like an exasperated sigh. ‘Promise.’


	3. Surviving Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Missing Scene from Surviving Christmas.

Gavin clambered lethargically into the minivan to find Tim was already taking up the three seats in the front row, his left leg stretched out. He was still wearing his red parker and balaclava, hugging himself. His eyes were closed, chin tipping towards his chest like he was on the verge of sleep. 

‘Timmy?’

Gavin lightly touched him on the knee, and when he didn’t get any response squeezed his knee. Tim jerked awake, looking blearily up at Gavin.

‘Are we leaving yet?’ Tim asked round a yawn, rubbing at his eyes.

‘Colin’s just trying to work out how to attach his new bike to the back of the van and Mr. Brittas is still talking to the police.’

‘Oh.’ Tim deflated slightly and Gavin gave him a sympathetic smile.

‘Gavin?’ Gavin turned at the sound of his name to find Linda peering into the van, holding out a green box. ‘I found the first aid kit.’

‘Thanks, Linda.’

‘Carol’s just making us all a cup of tea for the road. Do you two want one?’ 

‘Please, Linda.’ Gavin watched her disappearing back inside the Centre before he turned back to Tim.

Gavin lifted Tim’s leg and slid himself underneath it. He started unlacing Tim’s boot and peeling off his sock as carefully as he could.

‘I’m glad it’s just you and me for Christmas this year,’ Tim said quietly before yawning again.

‘Oh, yes?’

‘We can have a lie in tomorrow and if we want to eat Christmas dinner in our pyjamas we can.’

‘Since when have you worn your pyjamas to sit at the dinner table?’

‘When have I worn pyjamas?’ Tim chuckled and then immediately hissed as Gavin finish unravelling the makeshift bandage Linda had applied the previous day. 

‘It’s still swollen,’ Gavin commented, before cracking one of the ice packs on the arm of the seat and then holding it against Tim’s ankle. Tim flinched, but didn’t protest any further.

‘Maybe I’ll get you to cook dinner this year.’

‘We both know that’s not going to happen.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because you can’t relinquish that kind of control in the kitchen, and we both know that your cooking skills are far superior to mine.’

Tim seemed to consider this for a moment before answering. ‘I’ll let you sous chef.’

‘Very generous of you,’ Gavin said round a smile, watching as Tim’s eyelids drooped again.

‘Gavin,’ Linda’s voice came from the entrance to the van. She was holding two tin cups of tea that were steaming. Behind her, Gavin could see Carol handing out other mugs of tea to the team.

‘Thanks, Linda.’ He reached out to take both of them, turning to hand one to Tim, who’s eyes had closed again.

‘Timmy.’

It took a moment, but he opened his eyes, peering questioningly at Gavin.

‘Tea.’

Linda disappeared round the back of the van to help Colin with loading up the last of the luggage.

They sat in silence for a while, Tim cradling his mug in his hands and taking slow sips, Gavin with one hand holding Tim’s leg steady and the other gripping his mug loosely. By the time they’d finished their tea, everyone was back in the minivan and Mr. Brittas was encouraging everyone to put their seatbelts on. 

Tim had unzipped his parka slightly and removed his balaclava, clearly having warmed up. His empty mug was sitting empty in his lap as his head drooped towards his chest again. Gavin reached round him to attempt to put his seatbelt on without waking him, before buckling himself in. Gavin watched the Welsh scenery passing by the window, but his eyes slid to Tim, asleep against the window, already looking forward to the lie in Tim had promised him tomorrow.


End file.
